Method for displaying an assembly of like articles

ABSTRACT

A COMBINATION TRANSPORT AND DISPLAY DEVICE COMPRISES A MAIN PANEL, A PAIR OF SIDE WALLS FOLDABLY JOINED TO SIDE EDGES OF THE MAIN PANEL AND A PAIR OF LAP PANELS FOLDABLY JOINED TO THE EDGES OF THE SIDE WALLS REMOTE FROM THE MAIN PANEL AND SECURED TOGETHER, AND PANELS FOLDABLY JOINED TO THE ENDS OF THE MAINPANEL, CORNER FLAPS ADJOINING THE ENDS OF THE END PANELS TO THE ADJACENT AREAS OF THE SIDE WALLS, THE SIDE WALLS BEING SEVERABLE TO FORM A TRAY-LIKE STRUCTURE INCLUDING THE MAIN PANEL, THE END PANELS AND ASSOCIATED FLAPS TOGETHER WITH THE ADJACENT PORTIONS OF THE SIDE WALLS. DURING FORMATION OF THE ARTICLE GROUP, THE ARTICLES ARE PREFERABLY ARRANGED IN A RECTILLINEAR RELATIONSHIP TO EACH OTHER AND ARE INVERTED AND THE MAIN PANEL IS THEN DISPOSED ATOP THE BOTTOMS OF THE ARTICLES DURING THE FORMATION OF THE ARTICLE GROUP, THE DEVICE IS THEN TRANSPORTED TO A POINT OF USE OR DISPLAY AND SEVERANCE OF THE SIDE WALLS FOLLOWS INVERSION OF THE ARTICLE GROUP SO THAT THE ARTICLES ARE DISPOSED UPRIGHT AND ATOP THE MAIN PANEL.

s. B. HOWARD Filed April 1, 1968 METHOD FOR DISPLAXING AN ASSEMBLY OF LIKE ARTICLES Jan. 5-,;1971

\NVENTOR SAM E). HOWARD ATTORNEY United States Patent U.S. C]. 5332 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A combination transport and display device comprises a main panel, a pair of side walls foldably joined to side edges of the main panel and a pair of lap panels foldably joined to the edges of the side walls remote from the main panel and secured together, and panels foldably joined to the ends of the main panel, corner flaps adjoining the ends of the end panels to the adjacent areas of the side walls, the side walls being severable to form a tray-like structure including the main panel, the end panels and associated flaps together with the adjacent portions of the side walls. During formation of the article group, the articles are preferably arranged in a rectilinear relationship to each other and are inverted and the main panel is then disposed atop the bottoms of the articles during the formation of the article group. The device is then transported to a point of use or display and severance of the side walls follows inversion of the article group so that the articles are disposed upright and atop the main panel.

Wrapper type article carriers are Well known in which a group of articles to be packaged is disposed within an open ended tubular type structure. End panels frequently are used in conjunction with open-ended wrappers and serve as identification and advertising means and also aid in preventing dislodgement of the articles through the open ends of the wrapper.

Shipping containers are known in which a plurality of articles are disposed and such devices may be used as display means for the articles disposed therein when the cover portion is removed.

It is an objective of the present invention to provide a device or method whereby a plurality of articles may be secured by machine means within a wrapper-type shipper and in which the shipper is converted into a display device by the simple expedient of severing the side Walls in such manner as to form a convenient display tray.

The invention in one form as applied to a combination transport and display device employs a tubular wrapper having a main panel to the side edges of which a pair of severable spaced side walls are foldably joined, a composite panel disposed opposite the main panel and foldably joined to side walls along the edges thereof remote from the main panel, end panels foldably joined to the ends of the main panel, and corner flaps foldably joined to the ends of the end panels. The device is formed by first assembling the articles in a rectilinear arrangement, securing the wrapper about the article group in such manner that the main panel is disposed in flat face contacting relation to the bottoms of the articles and with the flaps disposed in substantially normal relation to the main panel, transporting the group of articles to the point of display, orienting the articles and the wrapper so that the articles are disposed atop the main panel, and thereafter severing the side walls of the wrapper so as to form a tray comprising the main panel, the end panels, the corner flaps and related portions of the side walls.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which FIG. 1 is a plan view of a wrapper type blank which is constructed and employed according to this invention; FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a completed device in which a plurality of articles are disposed and which utilizes the blank shown in FIG. 1; and in which FIG. 3 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 2 but in inverted relationship relative to FIG. 2 and with portions of the blank torn away.

In the drawing the numeral 1 generally designates the main panel of the device. A pair of finger gripping apertures 2 and 3- may be formed in panel ;1 if desired. Side Walls 4 and 5 are foldably joined to the main panel 1 along fold lines 6 and 7 respectively. Lap panels 8 and 9 are foldably joined to side walls 4 and 5 respectively along fold lines 10 and 11. Corner slits 12, 13 and 14 are formed in the bottom portion of side wall 4 and in general coincidence with the fold line 10. Comer slits 12-14 are constructed in known manner. Similarly corner slits 15, 16 and 17 are formed in the bottom portion of side wall 5 in the general vicinity of fold line 11 and are constructed in known manner.

The lap panels 8 and 9 are secured together to form a composite panel which is opposite from main panel 1. Lap panels 8 and 9 are first tightened about the article group by suitable machine elements which enter tightening apertures 18, .19 and 20 formed in lap panel 8 and draw the wrapper tightly about the article group in opposition to similar machine elements which enter the tightening apertures 21, 22 and 23 formed in lap panel 9. Once the wrapper is tightened about the article group, it is secured thereabout by means of the locking tabs '24 and 25 formed in lap panel 9 which are simply driven through the openings defined by retaining tabs 26 and 27 formed in lap panel 8. The structure and operation of locking tabs 24 and 25 and of their associated retaining tabs 2'6 and 27 are well known in the art. Of course the lap panels could be secured together by adhesive applied during formation of the article group or applied prior to formation of the article group in which case the tubular sleeve would be loaded from one or both ends following which the end panels would be closed and secured.

The ends of the wrapper as depicted in FIG. 2, for example, are partially closed by end panels 2.8 and 29 which are foldably joined along fold lines 30 and 31 to the edges of main panel 1.

In order to secure the ends of the end panels 28 and 29 in an assembled position as depicted in FIGS. 2 and 3, corner flaps 32, 33, 34 and 35 are foldably joined to the ends of end panels '28 and 219 along fold lines 36, 37, 3'8 and 3 9 respectively. Corner flaps 32 and 34 are secured in fiat face contacting relation to the portion 5A of side wall 5 as is indicated in FIG. 2 by dotted lines and corner flaps 33 and 35 are secured in flat face contacting relation with the portion 4A of side wall 4 as indicated in FIG. 3.

While it is preferable to secure the corner flaps 32-35 inclusive to the inside surfaces of the portions 4A and 5A of the side walls, it will be understood that the corner flaps could be disposed in flat face contacting relationship with the outer surfaces of the side walls. Furthermore the corner flaps could extend from the side wall portions 4A and 5A instead of from the end panels particularly if the articles are end loaded and portions 4A and 5A are of the same general height as are the end panels 2-8 and 29.

Once the group of articles A is assembled in a rectilinear relationship such as is represented in FIGS. 2 and 3, it ordinarily is preferable to arrange the articles in inverter form and thereafter to place the main .panel -1 atop the group of articles so that the inner surface of panel 1 is disposed in flat face contacting relationship with the bottoms of the articles A. Thereafter the side walls 4 and 5 are folded downwardly and the end panels 28 and 29 are folded downwardly accompanied by securement of the corner flaps and of the lap panels 8 and 9. Following formation of the article group in this manner, the articles as assembled inside the wrapper appear as a group as depicted in FIG. 2. When in this condition, the device serves as a convenient shipping container or, if desired, may serve as a take-home package for sale to a retail customer, for example.

If the device is to be used merely as a shipper and subsequently as a display device at a point of sale, it is contemplated, according to this invention, that the article group as depicted in FIG. 2 may be inverted to occupy the position depicted in FIG. 3 and the articles exposed to view as shown in FIG. 3 by severing the side walls 4 and 5 by means of the tear strips designated by the numerals 40 and 41. Obviously if the side walls 4 and 5 are severed by means of these tear strips 40 and 41, the portions 4A and 5A of the side walls will remain intact and constitute with the main panel 1, end panels 28 and 29 and flaps 32-35 a display tray as shown in FIG. 3. Of course the bottom portions 43 and 5B of side walls 4 and 5 together with lap panels 8 and 9 are simply discarded.

From the description above it is apparent that by the invention an improved combination transport and display device is provided in conjunition with an improved method whereby a group of articles may be transported to a point of display and there displayed in a convenient, economical, and efiicient manner due in part to the fact that the article group may be assembled initially in a desired relationship by high speed efficient machine procedures, if desired.

While a particular embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, the invention is not limited thereto, and its intended in the appended claim to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A method for displaying an assembly of like articles of substantially uniform cross-section from end to 4 end on a tray derived from a wraparound carton formed from a wrapper and having a main panel, side walls foldably joined to the edges of said main panel, lap panels foldably joined to the edges of said side walls remote from said main panel respectively, end panels foldably joined to the ends of said main panel and having a height less than that of said side walls, and corner flaps arranged to secure said end panels to said side walls, each side wall having a preformed severance line, the method comprising the steps of arranging the articles in an inverted group, arranging the wrapper with said main panel disposed atop the articles and in contact with the bottom ends thereof, folding said side walls downwardly alongside the articles, folding said end panels downwardly, securing said corner flaps so as to hold said end panels substantially normal to said main panel, folding said lap panels underneath the group of articles and into overlapping relation with each other, securing said lap panels together, inverting the secured wrapper and its contents so as to place the articles atop said main panel at a point of display, and severing the side walls only along the severance lines which are spaced from said main panel by a distance generally equivalent to the height of said end panels to form a tray for the articles including the main and end panels, the flaps, and the portions of the side walls attached thereto.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,751,075 6/1956 Arneson 229X 3,007,293 11/1961 McGihon 5348X 3,108,414 11/1963 Schleicher et al. 206-X 3,314,587 4/1967 Johnson 22951X THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner N. ABRAMS, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 206-65; 229-40 

